2019年双语新闻 全球百万物种濒临灭绝

Call for action to save wildlife

全球百万物种濒临灭绝

Humans share Earth with many different kinds of wildlife.

人类与各种各样的野生生物共享一个地球。

However, many of our animal and plant friends may not be around for much longer.

但许多我们的动植物朋友很快或许都将不复存在。

According to the first comprehensive report on biodiversity released by the United Nations in May,

联合国今年5月发布的首份全面生物多样性报告显示，

1 million of Earth's 8 million species are threatened with extinction¹, including amphibians², marine³ mammals and insects.

在全球八百万物种中，有一百万正濒临灭绝，其中包括了两栖动物、海洋哺乳动物、昆虫等等。

Humans are mainly to blame for the danger.

人类是产生这一威胁的主要原因。

According to the report, the world's population has more than doubled (from 3.7 to 7.6 billion) in the last 50 years.

该报告认为，在过去的50年间，世界人口增加了一倍（从37亿增至76亿）。

Humans have used more than a third of the world's land and 75 percent of freshwater supplies to grow crops and keep livestock⁴.

人类使用了全球超过1/3的土地和75%的淡水资源来种植农作物，饲养牲畜。

As a result, there are fewer habitats and fewer natural resources available as well as more pollution.

结果导致（动植物的）生活环境和自然资源不断减少，污染日渐增多。

Because of human activities,

由于人类活动的原因，

the global rate of species extinction over the past 50 years has been already

过去50年间全球物种灭绝的速度

"at least tens to hundreds of times higher than it has averaged over the past 10 million years", the report noted⁵.

“和过去1000万年间的平均速度相比，已经快了至少数十至数百倍”，该报告指出。

The species extinction could have serious influences on ecosystems⁶.

物种灭绝会对生态系统产生严重影响。

"When you lose a species, think of it like a fabric⁷, and you're taking and plucking one of the strings,"

“一种生物灭绝时，就像你扯了一件纺织品的一根线头一样，”

Brett Scheffers, an ecologist at the University of Florida, US, told NBC News.

美国佛罗里达大学的生物学家布雷特·舍费尔斯在接受美国全国广播公司新闻频道采访时表示。

"Over time, the fabric gets looser and less stable. These are the types of changes we're observing where entire ecosystems collapse⁸."

“随着时间的流逝，这件纺织品会变得日益松垮，不再成型。我们所观察的这些变化正是导致整个生态系统瓦解之处。”

These developments lead scientists to believe that there could be a sixth mass extinction, the first to be caused by humans, according to the Guardian⁹.

据《卫报》报道，这些事态的发展让科学家们担心会发生第六次生物集群灭绝，这也是由人类所引发的首次。

There have been five mass extinctions before, the last being 65 million years ago.

此前共有五次生物集群灭绝，最近的一次发生在6500万年前。

That time it was the dinosaurs¹⁰ that died out.

当时导致了恐龙灭绝。

"The evidence is clear: The future will be bad for us if we don't act now. There is no future for us without nature,"

“证据显而易见：如果现在不开始行动，未来将会对我们很不利。没有大自然，我们也就没有未来可言，”

Sandra Diaz, coauthor of the report, told National Geographic¹¹.

该报告的合著者之一桑德拉·迪亚兹在接受《国家地理》杂志采访时表示。

To deal with the problem, many countries have taken action.

许多国家都采取了措施来应对这一问题。

For example, don't buy products made from illegal wildlife parts and reduce water waste.

比如，不要购买用非法的野生生物部位制成的产品以及减少水资源浪费。

"Each individual action has a ripple¹² effect and every person can make a difference - through a mass we can turn the tide,"

“每一个个体行动都会产生连锁反应，每个人都能带来改变 -- 众人拾柴火焰高，”

said Claudia Sobrevila, from Global Wildlife Program, according to official website of the World Bank.

来自全球野生生物项目组的克劳迪娅·索伯勒维亚在世界银行官网上表示。

1 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

2 amphibians   

两栖动物( amphibian的名词复数 )； 水陆两用车； 水旱两生植物； 水陆两用飞行器

参考例句：

• The skin of amphibians is permeable to water. 两栖动物的皮肤是透水的。
• Two amphibians ferry them out over the sands. 两辆水陆两用车把他们渡过沙滩。

3 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

4 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句

7 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

8 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

9 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

10 dinosaurs   

n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 )；守旧落伍的人，过时落后的东西

参考例句：

• The brontosaurus was one of the largest of all dinosaurs. 雷龙是所有恐龙中最大的一种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. 恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

12 ripple   

n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进

参考例句：

• The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。
• The small ripple split upon the beach.小小的涟漪卷来，碎在沙滩上。